• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.587-594
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• 2000

Monoclonal antibodies against glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) from Sulfolobus solfataricus were produced and characterized using epitope mapping and biosensor technology, Five monoclonal antibodies raised against S. solfataricus GDH were each identified as a single protein band that comigrated with purified S. solfataricus GDH on the SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblot. Epitope mapping analysis showed that only one subgroup among the antibodies tested recognized the same peptide fragments of GDH. Using the anti-S. solfataricus GDH antibodies as probes, the cross-reactivities of GDHs from various sources were investigated and it was found that the mammalian GDH is not immunologically related to S. solfataricus GDH. The structural differences between the microbial and mammalian GDHs were further investigated using biosensor technology (Pharmacia BIAcore) and monoclonal antibodies against S. solfataricus and bovine brain. The binding affinity of S. solfataricus glutamate dehydrogenase anti-S. solfataricus for GDH ($K_D$=11 nM) was much tighter than that of anti-bovine for GDH ($K_D$=450 nM). These results, together with the epitope mapping analysis, suggest that there may be structural differences between the two GDH species, in addition to their different biochemical properties.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.53-56
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• 2000

A thermostable esterase from the hyper thermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus was partially purified 590-fold with $16.2\%$ recovery. The partially purified esterase had a specific activity of $29.5\;{\mu}mol\;min^{-1}mg^{-1}$ when the enzyme activity was determined using p-nitrophenyl butyrate as a substrate. The apparent molecular weight was about 100 kDa, while the optimum temperature and pH for esterase were $75^{\circ}C$ and 8.0, respectively. The enzyme showed high thermal stability and solvent tolerance in comparison to its mesophilic counterpart. The enzyme also showed chiral resolution activity for (S)-ibuprofen, indicating that S. solfataricus esterase can be used for the production of commercially important chiral drugs.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.21-25
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• 1999

Two low-salt complex media, bactopeptone and desalted yeast extract, were used for high density cultivation of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus (DSM 1617). Bactopeptone, which has low mineral ion content among various complex media, was good for cell growth in batch cultures; the maximal cell density in bactopeptone was comparable to that in yeast extract. However, cell growth was rather poor when bactopeptone was added by the fed-batch procedure. Since several vitamins are deficient in abctopeptone, the effect of vitamins on cell growth was examined. Among the vitamins tested, pyridoxine was found to improve the growth rate of S. solfataricus. To reduce the growth inhibition caused by mineral ions, yeast extract was dialyzed against distilled water and then fed-batch cultures were carried out using a fed medium containing desalted yeast extract. Although the concentrations of mineral ions in yeast extract were significantly lowered by the dialysis whether low molecular weight solutes in yest extract are crucial for cell growth, we investigated the effect of trehalose, a most abundant compatible solute in yeast extract, on the growth pattern. Cell densities were increased and the length of the lag phase was markedly shortened by the presence of trehalose, indicating that trehalose plays an important role in the growth of S. solfataricus.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.115-118
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• 1998

Utilization of yeast extract and formation of byproduct metabolite were investigated for hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus (DSH 1617). In both batch and fed-batch cultivations of S. solfataricus, maximal cell density, {{{{ { NH}`_{4 } ^{ +} }}} ion production and pH change were highly dependent on the ratio of yeast extract to glucose in the medium. Variation of {{{{ { NH}`_{4 } ^{ +} }}}} ion level was identified as a major cause of pH change during cultivation, and acidification of culture broth was attributed to consumption of {{{{ { NH}`_{4 } ^{ +} }}}} ions rather than formation of acid byproducts. It was also observed that increase of {{{{ { NH}`_{4 } ^{ +} }}}} ion concentrations in the medium resulted in greater degree of growth inhibition.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 2006

The coenzyme A-acylating 2-oxoacid:ferredoxin oxidoreductase and ferredoxin (an effective electron acceptor) were purified from the hyperthermophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus P1 (DSM1616). The purified ferredoxin is a monomeric protein with an apparent molecular mass of approximately 11 kDa by SDS-PAGE and of $11,180{\pm}50$ Da by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Ferredoxin was identified to be a dicluster, [3Fe-4S][4Fe-4S], type ferredoxin by spectrophotometric and EPR studies, and appeared to be zinc-containing based on the shared homology of its N-terminal sequence with those of known zinc-containing ferredoxins. On the other hand, the purified 2-oxoacid: ferredoxin oxidoreductase was found to be a heterodimeric enzyme consisting of 69 kDa $\alpha$ and 34 kDa $\beta$ subunits by SDS-PAGE and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. The purified enzyme showed a specific activity of 52.6 units/mg for the reduction of cytochrome c with 2-oxoglutarate as substrate at $55^{\circ}C$, pH 7.0. Maximum activity was observed at $70^{\circ}C$ and the optimum pH for enzymatic activity was 7.0 -8.0. The enzyme displays broad substrate specificity toward 2-oxoacids, such as pyruvate, 2-oxobutyrate, and 2-oxoglutarate. Among the 2-oxoacids tested (pyruvate, 2-oxobutyrate, and 2-oxoglutarate), 2-oxoglutarate was found to be the best substrate with $K_m$ and $k_{cat}$ values of $163\;{\mu}M$ and $452\;min^{-1}$, respectively. These results provide useful information for structural studies on these two proteins and for studies on the mechanism of electron transfer between the two.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.327-333
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• 2005

Dihydroxy-acid dehydratase (DHAD, 2,3-dihydroxy-acid hydrolyase, EC 4.2.1.9) is one of the key enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of the branched chain amino acid isoleucine and valine. Although the enzyme have been purified and characterized in various mesophiles including bacteria and eukarya, the biochemical properties of DHAD has bee not yet reported from hyperthermophilic archaea. In this study, we cloned, expressed, and purified a DHAD homologue from the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus P2, which grows optimally at $80\;^{\circ}C$ and pH 3, in E. coli. Characterization of the recombinant S. solfataricus DHAD (rSso_DHAD) revealed that it is the dimeric protein with a subunit molecular weight of 64,000 Da in native structure. rDHAD showed the highest activity toward 2,3-dihydroxyisovaleric acid among 17 aldonic acid substrates Interestingly, this enzyme also displayed 50 % activities toward some pentonic acids and hexonic acids when compared with the activity of this enzyme to the natural substrate. Moreover, rSso_DHAD indicated relatively higher activity toward D-gluconate than any other hexonic acids tested in substrates. $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values of rSso_DHAD were calculated as $0.54\;{\pm}\;0.04\;mM$ toward 2,3dihydroxyisovalerate and $2.42\;{\pm}\;0.19\;mM$ toward D-gluconate, and as $21.6\;{\pm}\;0.4\;U/mg$ toward 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate and $13.8\;{\pm}\;0.4\;U/mg$ toward D-gluconate, respectively. In the study for biochemical properties, the enzyme shows maximal activity between $70^{\circ}C$ and $80^{\circ}C$, and the pH range of pH 7.5 to 8.5. The half life time at $80^{\circ}C$ was 30 min. A divalent metal ion, $Mn^{2+}$, was only powerful activators, whereas other metal ions made the enzyme activity reduced. $Hg^{2+}$, organic mercury, and EDTA also strongly inhibited enzyme activities. Particularly, the rSso_DHAD activity was very stable under aerobic condition although the counterparts reported from mesophiles had been deactivated by oxygen.

• Biotechnology and Bioprocess Engineering:BBE
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.344-350
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• 2006

Thermoplasma acidophilum is a thermoacidophilic archaeon that grows optimally at $59^{\circ}C$ and pH 2. Along with another thermoacidophilic archaeon, Sulfolobus solfataricus, it is known to metabolize glucose by the non-phosphorylated Entner-Doudoroff (nED) pathway. In the course of these studies, the specific activities of glyceraldehyde dehydrogenase and glycerate kinase, two enzymes that are involved in the downstream part of the nED pathway, were found to be much higher in T. acidophilum than in S. solfataricus. To characterize glycerate kinase, the enzyme was purified to homogeneity from T. acidophilum cell extracts. The N-terminal sequence of the purified enzyme was in exact agreement with that of Ta0453m in the genome database, with the removal of the initiator methionine. Furthermore, the enzyme was a monomer with a molecular weight of 49kDa and followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics with $K_m$ values of 0.56 and 0.32mM for DL-glycerate and ATP, respectively. The enzyme also exhibited excellent thermal stability at $70^{\circ}C$. Of the seven sugars and four phosphate donors tested, only DL-glycerate and ATP were utilized by glycerate kinase as substrates. In addition, a coupled enzyme assay indicated that 2-phosphoglycerate was produced as a product. When divalent metal ions, such as $Mn^{2+},\;CO^{2+},\;Ni^{2+},\;Zn^{2+},\;Ca^{2+},\;and\;Sr^{2+}$, were substituted for $Mg^{2+}$ the enzyme activities were less than 10% of that obtained in the presence of $Mg^{2+}$. The amino acid sequence of T. acidophilum glycerate kinase showed no similarity with E. coli glycerate kinases, which belong to the first glycerate kinase family. This is the first report on the biochemical characterization of an enzyme which belongs to a member of the second glycerate kinase family.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.196-205
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• 2015

A Sulfolobus-E. coli shuttle vector for an efficient expression of the target gene in S. acidocaldarius strain was constructed. The plasmid-based vector pSM21 and its derivative pSM21N were generated based on the pUC18 and Sulfolobus cryptic plasmid pRN1. They carried the S. solfataricus P2 pyrEF gene for the selection marker, a multiple cloning site (MCS) with C-terminal histidine tag, and a constitutive promoter of the S. acidocaldarius gdhA gene for strong expression of the target gene, as well as the pBR322 origin and ampicillin-resistant gene for E. coli propagation. The advantage of pSM21 over other Sulfolobus shuttle vectors is that it contains a MCS and a histidine tag for the simple and easy cloning of a target gene as well as one-step purification by histidine affinity chromatography. For successful expression of the foreign genes, two genes from archaeal origins (PH0193 and Ta0298) were cloned into pSM21N and the functional expression was examined by enzyme activity assay. The recombinant PH0193 was successfully expressed under the control of the gdhA promoter and purified from the cultures by His-tag affinity chromatography. The yield was approximately 1 mg of protein per liter of cultures. The enzyme activity measurements of PH0913 and Ta0298 revealed that both proteins were expressed as an active form in S. acidocaldarius. These results indicate that the pSM21N shuttle vector can be used for the functional expression of foreign archaeal genes that form insoluble aggregates in the E. coli system.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1503-1509
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• 2014

With the purpose of facilitating the process of stable strain generation, a shuttle vector for integration of genes via a double recombination event into two ectopic sites on the Sulfolobus acidocaldarius chromosome was constructed. The novel chromosomal integration and expression vector pINEX contains a pyrE gene from S. solfataricus P2 ($pyrE_{sso}$) as an auxotrophic selection marker, a multiple cloning site with histidine tag, the internal sequences of malE and malG for homologous recombination, and the entire region of pGEM-T vector, except for the multiple cloning region, for propagation in E. coli. For stable expression of the target gene, an ${\alpha}$-glucosidase-producing strain of S. acidocaldarius was generated employing this vector. The malA gene (saci_1160) encoding an ${\alpha}$-glucosidase from S. acidocaldarius fused with the glutamate dehydrogenase ($gdhA_{saci}$) promoter and leader sequence was ligated to pINEX to generate pINEX_malA. Using the "pop-in" and "pop-out" method, the malA gene was inserted into the genome of MR31 and correct insertion was verified by colony PCR and sequencing. This strain was grown in YT medium without uracil and purified by His-tag affinity chromatography. The ${\alpha}$-glucosidase activity was confirmed by the hydrolysis of $pNP{\alpha}G$. The pINEX vector should be applicable in delineating gene functions in this organism.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.10
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• pp.1370-1376
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• 2011

To study the functional genomic analysis of a crenachaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, we have constructed an auxotrophic mutant based on pyrEF, which encodes the pyrimidine biosynthetic enzymes orotate phosphoribosyltransferase and orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase. S. acidocaldarius was shown to be sensitive to 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FOA), which can be selected for mutations in pyrEF genes within a pyrimidine biosynthesis cluster. Spontaneous 5-FOA-resistant mutants by ultraviolet, KH1U and KH2U, were found to contain two point mutations and a frame shift mutation in pyrE, respectively. Mutations at these sites from KH1U and KH2U decreased the activity of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase encoded by the pyrE gene and blocked the degradation of 5-FOA into toxic 5-FOMP and 5-FUMP that kill the cells. Therefore, KH1U and KH2U were uracil auxotrophs. Transformation of Sulfolobus-Escherichia coli shuttle vector pC bearing pyrEF genes from S. solfataricus P2 into S. acidocaldarius mutant KH2U restored 5-FOA sensitivity and overcame the uracil auxotrophy. This study establishes an efficient genetic strategy towards the systematic knockout of genes in S. acidocaldarius.